Most everyone loves eating a couple of moist and tender smoked pork ribs. And then there are those like me who need more than a couple to satisfy that smoked pork craving. I'll take a half a slab, short end, please!

Smoking spareribs isn't too darned difficult to do. If you have a meat smoker, whether wood fired, electric or charcoal, used correctly it'll produce some mighty fine smoked ribs. And if you don't have a smoker, don't worry. I bet you have a grill that'll do an excellent job smoking that slab of spare ribs.

Some important aspects of smoking a slab or two of lip smacking spareribs are...

-Choosing The Perfect Slab of Ribs
-Rib Preparation Before Smoking
-Rib Seasonings/Marinades/Dry Rubs
-Smoking Temperature and Technique
-Knowing When They're Done
-Resting Before Serving

Choosing a Sparerib Slab
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The first step is to pick up a slab or two of spareribs at the grocery store or the meat market. The best ribs to use are minimally processed, which means they haven't been pumped full of a preservative/flavoring solution. But these can be hard to find.

Most ribs you'll find are tightly sealed in a plastic wrapping, soaked in a brine solution. The brine used isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just forces us to modify our seasoning strategy. (Which means "use less or no salt when seasoning the ribs") Since pork tends to spoil quickly, the brine helps it remain fresh and safe for a longer period of time, and that helps keep the price down. The brine also acts as an enhancer, helping the meat remain moist after being cooked. Just remember. If you know what you're buying, you can work with it and be successful.

Rib Preparation and Trimming
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A whole sparerib slab consists of more than just the ribs. You'll also be buying a section of the sternum, some of the brisket, rib tips, the skirt, the fell and the point. In my pictorial 12 Step Rib Preparation series, you can see each of these parts, and learn how to prepare your slab for smoking.

If I'm not out to impress anyone with a nice presentation, I'll take the easy way out and just remove the fell then divide the slab into two pieces for easier handling while it's seasoned and smoked.

Seasoning The Sparerib Slab
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Pork ribs can be marinated overnight to add flavor, and then dusted with a bit of dry seasoning for an added kick. I use that technique often. Other times I just season the sparerib slab with a good coating of a commercial or a homemade rib rub. Either way, the ribs will come out of the smoker or grill with great flavor. The main reason to marinate ribs is so you can add flavors of liquid ingredients, like citrus juices, liquors, beer or vinegar.

Since the meat on a slab of spareribs isn't really all that thick, good results can come from marinating for one or two hours. That's plenty of time for an acidic marinade (containing a lot of citrus juice or vinegar). Too much time in an acidic marinade causes the meat break down too much. A little breaking down makes for tender. A lot makes for mush.

If the marinade is mainly oil, water or beer based, with herbs and spices, the slab can safely marinate overnight.

After marinating, pat the sparerib slab dry with a clean towel and season lightly with your favorite dry rib rub seasoning. If you skip the marinating step, feel free to season the slab a little more heavily.

Wrap the ribs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour before popping them in your pre-heated grill or smoker.

Smoking Spare Ribs to Perfection
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Pork spareribs can be smoked in wood fired pit smokers, in electric smokers and in charcoal smokers.

Using the proper techniques, ribs can also be smoked successfully in gas grills, or by indirect grilling in a charcoal grill. By adding one or two foil wrapped packets of water-soaked smoking wood onto the hot coals, you'll get a nice smoky flavor.

The ideal temperature for smoking spareribs is 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the temperature near this point will provide the low and slow cooking necessary for smoke ring formation and melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Smoke or grill the spareribs for two hours, then turn over.

If you want to baste the ribs as they smoke, you can use a flavored liquid such as beer with spices, herbs and a little garlic. Or a little vinegar mixed with some Franks Louisiana Hot Sauce. But whatever you do, don't coat them with a sweet barbecue sauce until the ribs are just about done. Anything containing sugar will burn very easily, ruining the taste of those ribs you have worked on so hard. Apply bbq sauce to the ribs only during the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking to prevent burning of the sauce.

When Are Spareribs Done?
Continue cooking them until the meat just becomes tender. That could mean for one more hour, or for three more hours. It depends on the individual slab. When they're done just right, the meat will pull apart when a pair of side-by side rib bones are pulled away from each other. If you want your ribs falling apart tender, cook 'em for another hour or so.

The All Important Resting Period
Ribs, like people, need to rest a bit after they've gotten overheated. Take that pretty slab of smoked spareribs out of the smoker and place it on a nice, big baking sheet. Place the pan on the countertop and cover the ribs and pan lightly with a piece of aluminum foil. Toss a clean dish towel over the foil, then forget about those ribs for about 20 minutes. During their rest, the temperature will equalize, the meat will continue to cook a bit, and the juices will reabsorb back into the meat fibers. It may sound complicated, but trust me. The ribs will be much better if you let them rest for at least 20 minutes at room temperature before you serve them.

Serving Smoked Spareribs
Now that your pork ribs have rested, all that's left to do is slice them into individual rib sections and serve them to your loving family or your hungry guests. Knowing how to smoke pork spareribs will make you one popular pitmaster. Enjoy the attention and be prepared for the praise!